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Why is '/' interpreted differently to ' ÷' in Wofram Alpha

Posted 1 month ago

Using Maths input if you enter 6/2*3 into Wofram Alpha it interprets it as 6/(2*3) but if you enter it as 6÷2*3 it thinks its (6/2)*3. Is this a deliberate difference? If so why?

POSTED BY: Richard Hockey
4 Replies

Within WolframAlpha, with math input 6/2*3 means 6/(2*3), while in natural language it means (6/2)*3. Actually, with math input it looks as if the slash / is interpreted as control-slash is interpreted in Mathematica.

POSTED BY: Gianluca Gorni

also the definition of '/' suggests it shouldn't do this. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Solidus.html

POSTED BY: Richard Hockey

Hi Interesting the documentation for divide suggests they are equivalent https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Divide.html

POSTED BY: Richard Hockey
Posted 1 month ago

Yes, this difference is deliberate. Wolfram Alpha interprets 6/2*3 as 6/(2*3) because the "/" symbol is treated as a fraction bar, indicating a grouping. However, 6÷2*3 is interpreted as *(6/2)3 because the "÷" symbol follows standard arithmetic order of operations (left-to-right for division and multiplication). This distinction ensures clarity, as "/" can imply a fraction, while "÷" adheres to conventional arithmetic rules.

POSTED BY: Manav Gangwani
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